Not Another True Crime Podcast

Sara and Danny are back for the final time, to cover Willy's Chocolate Experience in Glasgow - an event organized by a company named House of Illuminati, that was giving more Fyre Fest than "Pure Imagination." Sara and Danny get into it all, from the AI generated, spelling error-riddled poster, to the off-brand character of The Unknown (a terrifying masked figure who "lives in the walls"), and an Oompa Loompa who appeared to wish she were literally anywhere else but there. Event attendees complained that they didn't quite get what they paid £35 for, and even called the police to complain, although whether or not anything illegal actually occurred remains to be seen.

Thank you to all the listeners who have been with us along the way, from our first episode (fittingly about the actual Fyre Fest), to now.

Follow Danny @kashmeredanny

Follow Sara @saralememe

Source:

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/willy-wonka-inspired-chocolate-experience-outrage-rcna140726

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This week, Sara is joined by writer and comedian Josh Gondelman to cover a story from his hometown of Boston: the still-unsolved Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist. In 1990, two thieves dressed as policemen walked into the museum in the middle of the night, and carried out the single largest property theft in the world, stealing 13 paintings valued at $500 million. Despite having several mob-affiliated suspects, the pieces were never recovered, and the case went cold.

SOURCES:

https://www.gardnermuseum.org/organization/theft

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-clue-emerges-in-the-gardner-museum-art-heist-saga-180979651/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/five-things-know-about-isabella-stewart-gardner-art-heist-180977448/

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/28/metro/whodunit-gardner-museum-heist-remains-unsolved-decades-later-with-long-list-suspects-most-them-dead/

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Sara and Danny are back to cover the self-proclaimed "Jeffrey Dahmer of fraud,” Steve Comisar. But first, Sara shares a self-imposed scam of her own, with a recent Uber Pool trip that went off the rails. Then, they get into the extensive grifting resume of Beverly Hills conman Steve Comisar, who shilled everything from solar-powered clothes dryers, to diet pills, to oil wells - and even scammed an 84 year old man out if $500k. Several prison stints and failed attempts at becoming a Hollywood actor later, Comisar is finally pursuing the most noble profession of all: true crime podcasting.

SOURCES:

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jul-24-me-59160-story.html

https://www.sabrinaerdely.com/docs/TheCreepWithTheGoldenTongue.pdf

https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/613431696/on-the-road-to-redemption-with-former-con-man-steve-comisar

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This week, Sara and Danny cover the viral story from The Cut's own financial advice columnist, Charlotte Cowles, who was the unlikely victim of a scam that cost her $50,000. They get into Cowles' article, which details how over the course of just one day, the scammers - posing as Amazon employees and and FTC agents - successfully convinced her that she was the victim of extensive identity theft, with multiple warrants out for her arrest for cybercrimes, money laundering, and drug trafficking. Cowles withdrew and handed the scammers $50,000 from her bank account, before realizing it had all been a lie.

SOURCES:

https://www.thecut.com/article/amazon-scam-call-ftc-arrest-warrants.html

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Sara and Danny are joined by Sky Borgman, director and producer of the new documentary series The Truth About Jim, now streaming on MAX. The documentary follows 32-year old Sierra Barter, as she investigates whether or not her step grandfather, Jim Mordecai, was a serial killer. Skye shares her storytelling approach, how Jim might have flown under the radar for so long, and why there was such a serial killing spike in the Bay Area at that time.

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Sara and Danny are joined by Emmy Award-winning television host, veteran journalist, and bestselling author Tamron Hall, to talk about the latest book in her Jordan Manning series Watch Where They Hide. Tamron shares the real life cases that inspired the novel, how she identifies with the character of Jordan, and the emotional process of writing the book. They get into the media phenomenon of Missing White Woman Syndrome, and the way crime reporting has evolved from the start of her career to now, especially when it comes to racial profiling of suspects.

https://www.tamronhall.tv/

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This week, Sara and Danny cover the civil fraud case of Denver pastor Eli Regalado and his wife Kaitlyn, who claimed they were directed by God to sell millions in fake crytocurrency through the Kingdom Wealth Exchange. They're accused of pocketing $1.3 million for their own extravagant lifestyle that included a Range Rover, vacations, luxury handbags, and more, in what the Denver District Court Judge called "a case of just unmitigated greed."

SOURCES:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/01/23/crypto-pastor-colorado-god-eli-regalado/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68072665

https://people.com/denver-pastor-says-the-lord-told-us-to-steal-from-christians-8548486

https://www.denverpost.com/2024/01/30/eli-kaitlyn-regalado-cryptocurrency-scam-accounts-frozen-indxcoin/

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Sara and Danny are back this week with another con artist from Down Under: Samantha Azzopardi. They get into the innumerable fake identities (including that of a 14 year old girl, and the actress Dakota Johnson) that she adopted along her way from the Sydney suburbs, to Dublin, to Calgary, to prison, and back to Australia, where she once again encountered trouble with the law.

SOURCES:

https://www.womensweekly.com.au/news/samantha-azzopardi-true-story/

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/international-con-artist-arrested-on-fraud-charges-in-northcote-20231026-p5effh.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57284621

https://www.9news.com.au/national/melbourne-news-alleged-con-artist-samantha-azzopardi-withdraws-bail-application/1aa9adac-602d-4d36-a8f0-495c133720e7

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This week, Danny covers the mysterious story of Australian conwoman Melissa Caddick. After falling victim to a romance scam in her early 20s, she pivoted to becoming a scammer herself, cheating friends and family out of millions. As the law began to catch up with her, Melissa mysteriously disappeared, only for a disembodied foot matching her DNA to wash up on the beach months later. Danny gets into the ins and outs of Melissa's scams and disappearance, as well as the theories about whether or not she faked her own death.

SOURCES:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/25/australia/australia-melissa-caddick-fraud-coroner-death-intl-hnk/index.html

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/26/the-lady-vanishes-fraudster-melissa-caddick-is-dead-but-the-intrigue-lives-on

https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-forever-friend-the-former-boss-the-ex-husband-the-early-victims-of-fraudster-melissa-caddick-20210304-p577wo.html

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Sara is joined by Betches News director Amanda Duberman to unpack the 2nd season of MAX's docuseries The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, which focuses on Natalia's side of the story. Sara and Amanda get into it all: Natalia's traumatic experiences with the Barnett family, how things unfolded with her new family, the Mans, the "twist" ending, and and why this style of docuseries is so manipulative.

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